Apparatus for forging and shaping metal articles



Oct. 27, 1936; F; J. LEHMAN 2,058,699

I APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES Filed June '14, 19357 Sheets-Sheet J.

3m entor B5 F FEZJZIPMK J. LEA/MAN (Ittornen F. J. LEHMAN APPARATUS FORFORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 19553mnentor FmsoEe/m Jaw/4n.

- I Gttorneg Oct. 27, 1936. F. J. LEHMAN 2,058,699

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES Filed June 14, 1955 7Sheets-Sheet s lnventor f I TM C(ttorneg Oct. 27, 193 F. J. LEHMAN2,058,699

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES FiledJunq 14, 1935 7Sheets-Sheet 4 Gttorneg F. J. LEHMAN Oct. 27, 1936:

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES Filed June '14, 1935 7Sheets-Shes: 5

F. J. LEHMAN Oct. 27, 1936.

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES Filed June 14, 1935 7Sheets-Shet e 3nnentdr (Ittorneg F. J. LEHMAN Oct. 27, 1936.

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPJ ING METAL ARTICLES Filed June 14, 1935 7Sheets-Sheet 7 Inna enter pie/ck J {f/lM/IN.

Patented Oct. 27, 1936 iTE APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METALARTICLES corporation of Ohio Application June 14, 1935-, Serial No.26,633

9 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for forging and shaping metalarticles from elongated bar stock, and the primary object of the same isto provide means whereby certain types of tools and metal articles maybe made on a low cost volume production basis entirely automatically andof uniform construction and high quality throughout.

The present invention is concerned with a machine along the lines ofthat disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 740,263, filedAugust 17, 1934, and may therefore be considered either as an improvedor as an alternative form of mechanism with respect to that disclosed insaid application.

As in the machine of the above application, the article to be producedis a tool commonly known in the trade as a wrecking bar, it beingunderstood that With certain modifications in parts, principally withrespect to the dies and shaping units forming part of the apparatus, themachine may be adapted to the manufacture of numerous types of metalarticles from elongated bar stock, not hereinspecified, within the scopeof the invention as defined by the claims.

The objects of the present invention therefore are broadly those setforth in my copending application above noted. Additional and morespecific objects are, to render certain operations more positive than isthe case in the machine disclosed in my earlier application; to providemeans for loading the bars onto the chucks and for transferring the barsfrom one set of dies to the other which will ensure against turning ormisalignment of the bars; to provide a complete self-contained lowerunit which carries all operating cams and coacting parts thereon andwhich may be removed from a conventional forging press or analogousmachine and replaced at will; to provide improved coordination betweenthe forging machine drive and unit comprising the assembly proper; andto provide other objects and advantageous structural features which willbecome apparent in view of the following description taken inconjunction with the drawings.

The present improved apparatus, as in my earlier filed application, isarranged so that it may be installed in the conventional forging machineor press, or other machine having the proper operating characteristicsand power available to carry out the various steps of the method.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a forging press having thepresent improved apparatus operatively associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a view in end elevation of Figure 1 with certain partsbroken away to show the structure more clearly;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the bar transfer and gripping mechanism andcoacting parts for operating the same;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the operating cams and certaincoacting parts looking in toward the front of the machine at the lowerright hand portion of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a View in sectional side elevation taken substantially onthe lines 55, Figure 3 Figure 6 is an enlarged view in end elevation ofthe cam shaft and cams mounted thereon, as indicated by the line fi6,Figure 3;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the bar gripping fingers andcoacting bar transfer mechanism taken substantially on the line l--'l,Figure 3; and Figures 7a and 7b are similar views showing the parts indifferent positions of operation;

Figure 7c is a section taken on the line lc-lc, Figure '7;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view in sectional side elevationtaken substantially on the line 88, Figure 3, and alternate position ofthe parts being indicated in dotted lines;

Figure 8a. is a section taken substantially on the line Ila-8a, Figure8;

Figure 9 is a view in sectional side elevation taken substantially onthe line 9-4], Figure 3;

Figures 10 and 10a are detail fragmentary views in side elevation andtop plan of die block or bending pin actuating mechanism adapted tocoact with the die for bending the claw end of a wrecking bar, the partsbeing shown on a reduced scale.

In the following description, certain of the parts which are duplicatedin my copending application above noted will only be generally referredto, reference being had to said application to obtain a more detailedunderstanding of the construction and operation of such parts.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in Figures 1 and 2 a forging pressis shown having a base frame 5 on which are mounted pedestal brackets oruprights 5, 6a and 51). A crank shaft lia is mounted for rotation inhearings on the upper ends of said brackets, said crank shaft beingprovided with suitable connecting rods t which carry a head plate Theshaft 'lia may be driven through the medium of a drive shaft it whichhas bearing at opposite extremities in pedestal brackets H and 82; aflywheel l3 and a drive pinion M being mounted on said shaft Ml, thedrive pinion meshing with a gear l5 secured on shaft 'la. Hold-down rodsor bolts l6 and I! are provided and extend through the frame of themachine to hold the frame parts in rigid association. A bed plate I9 isprovided and is removably secured to the base frame 5, this plateforming a support for the entire operating assembly to be described. Adrive pulley 2B is shown on the outer end of the drive shaft id. Thepart 'la of the crank shaft connects with part 1 through the medium of aclutch which will be hereinafter more fully referred to.

The operation of machines of this type is well understood by thosehaving a knowledge of the art. It will be understood that the particularconstruction of the forging press above generally described forms nopart of the present invention except to provide in combination therewitha complete operative machine, an important feature of the presentinvention being the adaptability of the mechanism for use with anyconventional forging press or analogous machine having the requiredcapacity to carry out the forging and shaping operations.

The bar blanks are disposed on an inclined chute or like support and aretaken from this support by transfer arms which place the bars in thefirst transversely-aligned notches of a gripping member in the form ofspring pads or chucks, which notches may be considered the loadingstation. From this position the bars are transferred along a row oflower dies which are disposed in vertical alignment with upper diescarried by the head plate 9, these dies imparting the necessary shapesto the ends of the bar blanks. Since the dies of the present machine aresubstantially the same as those of the machine disclosed in my priorapplication, they are not shown or described in detail in the presentinstance.

Certain of the dies and shaping units are visible in Figure 3 and aredesignated at 2i-2la, 22-22(1, 23-23a, 2 2-240, and 25-2500. Adjacentthese dies are the resiliently-mounted chucks or spring pads 26 and 2'!which are provided with a series of transversely aligned notches 26a and27a in which the bar blanks are disposed during the respective shapingoperations.

All of the operating cams are mounted on a main cam shaft 28 and areeasily accessible at one side of the machine, note particularly Figures1, 3 and 4.

The bar stock or blanks B are loaded by a conveyor, a portion of whichis shown at C, Figure 2, onto spaced downwardly-inclined chute bars 29,note particularly Figures 4 and 5, there being a pair of these bars inthe example shown spaced such distance as to support oppositeextremities of a bar blank. Adjacent the lower extremity of the chutebars, the blanks are stopped by a pair of trip arms 30 and 35' eachhaving a hookshaped end 30a, said arms being adjustably secured on across shaft 3i and being normally urged to a stop position by means suchas springs 32. The arms 35, 36 are periodically tripped by means of acam 33, which is secured on shaft 28 and is adapted to contact a roller34 mounted on the one end of a trip arm 35 adjustably secured on crossshaft 3i, note Figures 4 and 6. This feed mechanism is omitted from theplan view in Figure 3, since its inclusion in this figure would obscureparts therebelow. Return springs 34a are each connected to the one endof an arm 34b secured to or forming part of each lever 30 and togetherwith the latter forming in effect a bell crank. Each arm 341) has anadjusting screw 34c therein and adapted to abut a limit stop or abutmentbracket 34d to thereby adjust the return or receiving position of thehook ends of arms 30 and 30.

The bar blanks are transferred from the lower ends of the chute bars 29to the first notch of the chucks 26 and 21 by means of a pair ofoscillating loading members or fingers generally indicated at 36 and 36,there being a finger arranged to engage the opposite extremities of eachbar adjacent the hook end 30a of the trip arms 30. Each loading fingeris preferably of identical construction, note Figure 5, and as showncomprises a pair of blank or bar-gripping fingers 36a and 3% which attheir lower ends are pivoted to a common pivot pin 350. A pair of togglelinks 36d pivotally connect the fingers to a sliding block 36a which isnormally urged to return position by a spring 35 The assembly justdescribed is carried by a frame member or arm 36g having a hub portionwhich is adjustably secured on a cross shaft 31, the block 35c beingmounted to slide in said frame arm. The block 36c is provided with anoutwardly projecting roller bracket 35h, note particularly Figure 4,which carries a cam roller 362'. When the block moves upwardly, thefingers are closed, and when the block is retracted, the fingers areopened.

The loading fingers 36, 36' are oscillated from the full line positionshown in Figure to the position shown in dotted lines by means of thefollowing assembly: A gear 38 is secured on the one end of shaft 371'and has in continual mesh therewith a segmental gear 39 which is securedon a jack shaft 46 and is urged to retracted position by a spring 4311.The gear 39 carries an eccentrically-disposed cam roller 4| adapted tocontact a cam 42 secured on shaft 28. It will be seen that as cam 42revolves, it oscillates segmental gear 39, to thereby in turn oscillateshaft 3'! and the loading fingers 36, 36' carried thereby.

The blank-gripping fingers 36a, 36b of the loading fingers 35, 36 areopened and closed by means of the following parts: A pair of slidingcombined clutch and cam cones 43 and 43 are slidingly mounted on thecross shaft 37, said cones each being formed with cam faces adapted toengage the rollers 362' carried by the brackets 36h of the sliding block36a of the loading fingers. The cones are moved back and forth on theshaft 31' by means of clutch fingers 44 which engage in an annulargroove formed in each of said cones, the clutch fingers being secured ona transversely slidable shaft 45. The shaft 45 has attached thereto bymeans of a bracket 45 a cam roller 41, note particularly Figure 3. Arotating cam support or drum 48 is secured on the main cam shaft 28 andhas connected thereto a series of cams 49 and 49a, which are arranged tocontact the roller 4'! and shift the clutch shaft 45 back and forth,thereby moving the cam faces of the cones 43 and 43 into and fromengagement with the rollers 361' carried by the bracket 36h.

As the bar blanks are loaded onto the first notch of the spring pads orchucks 26 and 21, they are transferred, six at a time in the presentinstance, along the notches of said pads by means of transfer finger andslide mechanism, a description of which follows:

A plurality of sets of transfer fingers 50, 50 are each pivotallyconnected to pairs of spaced elongated plates 5i and 5!, noteparticularly Figures 7 to '70, by means of a pivot pin 52, there being apair of these plates in each slide assembly. A crank shaft 53 is mountedin bearings Ed on the bed plate i9 and extends transversely between thetransfer finger assembly, and at its opposite ends said shaft isprovided with cranks 53aeach having a roller 53b thereon adapted toengage in a slot 55 formed in a side plate 56 which is slidable withrespect to plate 5i. This plate 56 is also formed with an elongated slot5?, and the fingers 5B], 5B are provided with rollers 58 at their lowerends adapted to engage in said slot, each roller 58 being mounted on apin 58a which is secured to one of the transfer fingers, the plate 5!being arcuately slotted as at 59 to accommodate arcuate movement of thepins 58a.

Each transfer finger and slide assembly just described is movablyanchored and steadied by means of a track rail tit, note particularlyFigure 7b in conjunction with Figure 5, the plates 5| and 5! beingprovided at their opposite ends with rollers 69 which are adapted toride in longitudinal slots 62 formed in the track rail 6!]. The rail(iii and side plate 56 are both anchored for limited vertical movementat opposite ends to brackets 62a and 6272, note Figures 3 and 5, therail and plate being respectively slotted vertically at 62c and 6201through which headed pins or bolts 62c and 62 project. It will thus beseen that the plates 5%, 5! may move both vertically and longitudinallywhile the side plate 55 and rail Gil may only move vertically. When thecrank shaft 53 is oscillated in a manner to be described, the rollers53b on the cranks 53a engaging in the slots 55 of the side plates 56,raise the slide assembly vertically from the position shown in Figure 7to those shown in Figures 7a and 7b, the plates M, M and fingers carriedthereby then being shifted horizontally to the left by means shortly tobe described. Since the side plate 56 is slidably mounted with respectto the plates 5! and El when the assembly is raised, relative verticalmovement ensues between the plate 56 and the plates 5i and 5!, whichcauses the rollers 58 in the slot 5'5 to spread, thereby closing thefingers on the bar blanks B, the gravitational weight of the plates 5i,5! being such as to cause the fingers to close and grip the blanks withsufiicient carrying pressure. In Figure 7, the transfer fingers 5E),Eta. are shown fully open. In Figure 7a the fingers have been closed onthe bar which at that time would be in one of the notches of the springpads or chucks 26 and 2i; and in Figure 7b, the bar has been raisedvertically from said notch and is ready to be moved horizontally to thenext succeeding notch. The cranks 53a turn only through an arc of 90,bar 58 moving vertically but not longitudinally.

The crank shaft 53 is oscillated through the medium of cams 63c and 631)which are carried by a supporting drum or disk 63 mounted on the maincrank shaft 28. Cams 63a. and 63b are adapted to actuate a bell cranklever 64 which is fulcrumed to the bed plate 99 and is provided at oneend with a cam roller Ma and at its opposite end is pivotally connectedto a connecting rod 65, the opposite end of said rod being connected toa sliding block 66 which at an intermediate point is slotted as at 61,note particularly Figures 8 and 8a, to receive a crank 68 formed at anintermediate point on the crank shaft 53. Figure 8a shows the bearingblocks 69 and it! for the crank shaft 83 on opposite sides of thecentral crank 68.

The crank shaft 53 is connected to a rear crank shaft 12 by means of aconnecting rod 13,

and this crank shaft is provided at opposite extremities with cranks712a which function in the same manner as the cranks 53a and act on therear of the transfer finger slide assembly in the same manner that thecranks 53a act on the front portion thereof.

When the slide assembly has been raised vertically by the cranks 53a,1212. to the position shown in Figure 7b, the plates BI and 5! with thetransfer fingers carried thereby are shifted horizontally, t6 the leftas shown in Figure 71), by means of cams i3 and 13a which are mounted onthe cam drum t8, said cams acting on a bell crank lever 74 pivoted as atMa to the bed plate l9, the one end of said lever being provided with acam roller Mb which is engaged by the cams i3 and i311, and the oppositeend of said lever engaging a connecting rod or slide member 75 whichprojects through guide block '56 and extends rearwardly and haspivotally connected thereto levers Ti and Na, the latter being fulcrumedat Nb and Tic to the bed plate I9 and having the outer ends thereofforked and engaging brackets 18 and 5811 which are connected to theplates 5|.

When the transfer finger and slide assembly has reached the positionshown in Figure 7b, cam "l3 contacts roller Mb and turns bell cranklever M, thereby retracting the connecting or slide rod E5, the latteracting on the levers T! and 11a and shifting the plates 5! and 5!together with the transfer fingers carried thereby rearwardly to bringthe bar blanks B carried by the transfer fingers into registration withthe next succeeding transverselyaligned set of notches of the springpads or chuck members 25 and 21. Cam 53b acting on bell crank 64 thenretracts the connecting rod 65 and the crank 68 of the shaft 53, thecranks 53a and Wu. then being returned to the position shown in Figure7, thereby lowering the transfer slide assembly and the fingers carriedthereby and depositing the bar blanks onto the spring pads. When theslide assembly is lowered, relative movement again takes place betweenthe side plate 56 and the adjacent plates 5! and 5H, and the transferfingers are opened as shown in Figure 7. About this time, cam 73a.engages roller Nb and the rod i5 is shifted to the left as viewed inFigure 3, thereby shifting the plates 5! and iii and the transferfingers carried thereby back to their original position ready to repeatthe cycle.

To hold the bar blanks firmly against movement during bending of the endportions thereof, gripping jaws l9 and 59a, note particularly Figures 5and 9, are provided and are rotatably mounted or journalled on a jackshaft 88 at the rear of the machine, the shaft being mounted in bearings8!. A sliding cam 82 is provided and is formed with cam portions 820,and 8213-, note Figure 5, adapted to engage coacting cam portions formedon the jaws l9 and l9a and open and close the latter. This bar-grippingassembly just described is substantially the same as that disclosed inmy copending application heretofore noted, the difference in the presentinstance being in the construction of the cam 82, which acts positivelyto open as well as close the jaws, and in the means for actuating orreciprocating the cam 82. The said latter means comprises a cam 83having connected thereto a cam member 83a which defines an arcuate camtrack adapted to engage a cam roller 8 mounted on the one end of aconnecting or slide rod 85 which projects forwardly in substantiallyparallel relation to the connecting or slide rod i5, note Figure 8a, and

is connected at its rear end with a bracket a connected to the cam 82.When cam shaft 28 revolves, cam 83 engages cam roller 84 andreciprocates the connecting or slide rod 85, which in turn reciprocatescam 82, thereby causing jaws I9 and 19a to open and close. When the jawsare closed, they grip the intermediate portion of the bar blank and holdit firmly against displacement while it is being acted upon by upper andlower bending units, for an understanding of which reference is had tomy prior application above noted, the lower units being shown at 24, 24aand 25, 25a.

The lower bending unit or die 25a. is used for bending the claw end ofeach wrecking bar into final form, and this die has coacting therewith amovable die block or what may be termed a bending pin 86 which, afterthe claw has been bent partly therearound, is retracted to clear theclaw. While this die block is shown and described in my priorapplication, the mechanism for actuating the same has been changed inthe present instance to ensure a more positive operation. By referringto Figures 10 and 10a in conjunction with Figure 3, it will be seen thatthe die block 86 is adjustably connected to the one end of a slide rod86a, the opposite end of said rod being mounted for limited slidingmovement in a pedestal bracket 861) which in turn is mounted on bedplate I9. An arm or link 860 is fulcrumed to the bracket 861), its upperend being loosely pivoted to rod 86a and its lower end being pivotallyconnected to a connecting rod 86d which extends back to a point adjacentcam shaft 28 and is adapted to be reciprocated by a cam 86c mounted onsaid shaft. Rod 86d may be steadied and supported by a bracket 86connected to plate I9. Cam 866 is a positively-acting cam and has anadjustable groove or track member 86c secured thereon which could ifdesired be made integral therewith, the cam 86c and cam member 88c beingadapted to act on rollers 86d and 86d" mounted on rod 88d. Bending blockor pin 86 is slidingly mounted in an arcuate groove or recess formed inthe bending die 25a.

The die block or bending pin is shown in advanced or bending position inFigures 10' and 10a. In this position the claw end of a bar blank isbent over or around the pin when an upper die, not herein shown, movesdown into operative position with respect to die 25a. After theclaw-bending operation is completed, cam 86c engages cam roller 86d andpushes rod 86d forward, thereby retracting rod 86a and the block or pin86 mounted on the end thereof, thus permitting removal or transfer ofthe formed bar from die 2511. When cam member 86c engages roller 86d",the die block or bending pin 86 is moved forward or back into operativeposition in die 25a.

When the bar blanks are loaded into the machine, it is desirable thatthey be accurately centered transversely. One means for accomplishingthis result is to provide a pair of coacting slide bars 8'! and 88having secured to the outer ends thereof centering devices, the deviceon one side consisting of a resiliently mounted end contact plate 89which is pivotally secured to a carrying bracket 98 which in turn issecured to the rod 81, the plate 89 having pivotally connected thereto aguide pin 9I which extends through a portion of the bracket 98 and isprovided with looking and adjusting nuts 9Ia. A spring 92 encircles thepin 9| and normally urges the centering plate 89 inwardly. On theopposite side of the mechanism, the bar 88 has mounted thereon acentering plate 93 which coacts with the plate 89 to contact theopposite end of a bar blank, it not being necessary to give both plates89 and 93 a resilient mounting.

The bars 81 and 88 are normally urged outwardly or away from barcentering position by means of a spring 94 which is connected atopposite ends to said bars, the bars being slidingly mounted in brackets95 and 95a. To move the end-contacting or centering plates 89 and 93towards one another or into bar centering position, levers 96 and 96aare provided and are connected at their upper ends to said bars and attheir lower ends are provided with cam rollers 96b and 960. At anintermediate point, the levers 96, 96a are fulcrumed to brackets 9611.The cam 33 has secured on the opposed sides thereof cams 91 and 91awhich are adapted to engage the rollers 96b and 960 and thereby actuatethe levers 96 and 96a and move the bars 81 and 88 and the parts carriedthereby toward one another. It will be seen that as each bar isdeposited on the ends of the trip arms 38 and 38, the centering plates89 and 93 move against opposed ends of the bar blank .and always insurean accurately centered position.

The cam shaft 28 is detachably coupled at 98 to a shaft 99, and byuncoupling the shafts from one another and detaching the bed plate I9,the latter together with the entire assembly carried thereby may beremoved and replaced at will.

It is preferred to actuate the head plate 9 and the upper forging andshaping units carried thereby intermittently instead of continuously,and accordingly the shaft 99 is provided with a cam I88 adapted to acton a crank lever I8I which is fulcrumed as at I82 to the adjacent framestructure and is provided with a cam roller I83. A link I84 connects thelever I8I with a clutch member I85 having a cam-shaped portion I85aadapted to engage an outwardly projecting clutch member I86 forming partof a clutch assembly generally indicated at I86a, the clutch member I86being normally urged to the left or towards engaging position by meansof a spring I86b. The clutch assembly IBM is adapted to intermittentlyset up a driving connection between part Ia of the main crank shaft andpart I.

The member I85 is slidably mounted in a bracket I81 .and is pulleddownwardly against the pressure of a spring I08 which is housed in saidbracket.

It will be seen that as cam I88 revolves, it periodically retracts orpulls downwardly on the member I85 thereby retracting the cam portionI85a thereof clear of the coacting portion of the clutch member I86,permitting the spring I861) to move the clutch into engaging position.When the cam I88 permits the spring I88 to push or drive the cam memberI85 upwardly, the member I86 is retracted, thereby releasing the clutch,Since clutch assemblies of the spring-pressed type are common and wellknown in the various arts and may be purchased in the open market, it isnot considered necessary to show the same in detail.

To prevent overrunning of the crank shaft I, la and the upper head 9, abrake mechanism is provided and consists of a brake band I89 which isarranged over a drum I I0, the one end of the band or strap I89 beingconnected to a crank lever III, note particularly Figure 2. A brake camI I2 is mounted on shaft 99 and is adapted to 7 actuate .a lever I I3which is connected to the lever Ill through the medium of alink l M.

The cam H2 is timed to apply the brake upon retraction of the clutchmember M6 to thereby prevent overrunning of the shaft 1 and head 9 andthe parts carried thereby.

The drive on the shaft 99 is preferably continuous and may be taken fromthe shaft it through the medium of drive pinion i i and transmittedthrough suitable reduction gears to a gear H5 having a floating mountingon the shaft at, note particularly Figure 1. Gear I I5 has a driveconnection with shaft 99 through the medium of a drive plate l I500 anda safety connection or pin 5b, the plate being keyed to the shaft andthe pin connecting the gear with the plate. Should the driving torque onshaft 23 exceed a predetermined load, pin H51) will shear, preventingdamage to the mechanism. To disconnect the drive on the forgingmechanism whenever desired, a clutch assembly generally indicated at H6is provided on the outer extremity of the shaft 99 and is adapted to beactuated through the medium of a lever Ill and a hand rod H8.

For a complete understanding of the operation of the machine, referenceis had to my copending application heretofore noted, wherein the variousoperations on a wrecking bar are clearly brought out, and the dies andbending units for performing such operations are more clearly shown thanin the present instance.

Since the present machine deals principally with the loading of the barsand the transfer thereof from one position to another with respect tothe forging dies and shaping units, a description of such operationsonly should be necessary in the present instance. The bar blanks B areloaded onto the chute bars 29 and move by gravity down to the ends ofthe trip levers 30. When the bar blanks reach the ends of the triplevers 36, they are accurately centered transversely through the mediumof the centering or end contact plates 89 and 93 which are moved towardone another through the medium of the cams 91, SM. Cam t2 then acts onroller 4! to rotate the segmental gear 39 and swing the loading fingers36 and 35' to the left to the dotted line position shown in Figure 5,thereby transferring the bar blank from the ends of the trip members 38the first notch of the spring pads 25 and 2?, cam 33 having tripped thearms 38 just prior to transfer movement of the said loading fingers. Asthe loading fingers swing to the left or to the dotted line positionabove noted, the cone cams or members t3 and 53 are shifted to the rightas shown in Figure 4, thereby opening the said fingers and releasing thebar blank just as it is being deposited on the first notch of the springpads 26 and 27. From the first notch of the spring pads or clutchmembers 25 and M, the bar blanks are transferred along said clutchmembers or pads through the medium of the transfer slide and fingerassembly whose structure and operation has heretofore been described inde tail, the cranks 53a and lfia on the opposite ends of the crank shaft5% raising the said assembly from the position shown in Figure 7 to theposition shown in Figure 7b, at which point the assembly consisting ofthe side plat-es 5i, 5! and transfer fingers 553' is shifted rearwardlythrough the medium of the arms Ti and "Ella which are actuated primarilythrough the medium of the cams l3 and liia. When the bar blanks reach apoint in vertical alignment with the next succeeding notches, the cranks53a and 72a are oscillated back to the position shown in Figure 7,thereby lowering the plates 5!, 5i and the fingers carried thereby,depositing a 'bar blank in said notches. The plates 5|, 5i and transferfingers are then moved back to their original position by reverse actionof the arms 1? and Fla.

The bar blanks upon reaching the last notch of the group on the springpads 26 and 21, and which is the bending station for the ends of thebars, are gripped by the jaws i9 and 59a, the cam 32 being movedrearwardly to close the jaws on the bar blank.

While the operating parts of the present ma chine have been describedand shown more or less in detail, it will be understood that suchdetailed disclosure is not to be construed as a limitation but thatcertain modifications and changes in design may be adopted within thescope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles fromlengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and intransversely spaced and aligned relation to effeet in sequential orderforging and bending operations on opposite extremities of the bars, andmeans for transferring simultaneously a plurality of bars along saiddies; said means comprising a plurality of sets of transfer fingers, apair of plates on which said fingers are pivoted, a slide plate mountedadjacent said first-named plates and having an elongated slot therein,said fingers being provided with actuating rollers adapted to engage insaid slot, and means for raising and lowering said slide plate tothereby impart relative movement between the same and the first-namedplates to open and close said fingers.

2. In combination with a forging machine having a bed frame, a unit forforging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stockcomprising a bed plate, a series of dies arranged longitudinally insequence and in transversely spaced and aligned relation on said plate,chucks mounted adjacent the dies for holding the bars while beingsubjected to the action of the dies, means for loading the bars on thechucks comprising an oscillating arm, fingers on said arm, a toggleconnected to said finger, a cam coordinated with said toggle and adaptedto close said fingers when said arm is oscillated in its uppermostposition and open said. fingers when said arm is lowered, means fortransferring the bars along said chucks comprising plates, fingerspivoted thereon, slides contiguous said plates, means for raising andlowering said slides and means coordinated with said slides to open andclose said fingers upon movement of said slides.

3. In combination with a forging machine having a bed frame and areciprocating head plate and a drive shaft for reciprocating said plate,a unit for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths ofbar stock comprising a bed plate, a series of dies arrangedlongitudinally in sequence and in transversely spaced and alignedrelation on said plate, chucks mounted adjacent the dies for holding thebars while being subjected to the action of the dies, means for loadingthe bars on the chucks, comprising oscillating arms, gripping fingersthereon, meansfor transferring the bars along the chucks to successiveoperating positions with respect to the dies, comprising slides,gripping fingers coordinated therewith, a shaft gearing thereon foractuating the bar loading arms, cones on said shaft for actuating saidgripping fingers on the bar loading arms, a cam shaft and cams thereonfor actuating the bar transfer slides the bar loading arm gearing andbar loading gripping finger cones in timed order of operation.

4. In combination with a forging machine having a bed frame and areciprocating head plate and a drive shaft for reciprocating said plate,a unit for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths ofbar stock comprising a bed plate, a series of dies arrangedlongitudinally in sequence and in transversely spaced and alignedrelation on said plate, chucks mounted adjacent the dies for holding thebars while being operated on by the dies, arms for loading the bars onthe chuck, plates for transferring the bars along the chucks insuccessive operating positions relative to said dies, a cam shaft, camsthereon for actuating said plates, a shaft, gearing thereon foractuating the bar loading arms, and a second cam on said cam shaft foroperating the bar loading arm gearing in timed relation with themovement of said plates.

5. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles fromlengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and intransversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential orderforging and bending operations on the bars, chucks mounted adjacent thedies for holding the bars while being operated on by the dies, a supporton which the bars are placed preparatory to being loaded on the chucks,means for successively transferring the bars from said support to saidchucks, comprising a pair of oscillating arms, gripping fingers thereon,mechanism for oscillating said arm mechanism for opening and closingsaid gripping fingers, mechanism for transferring the bars progressivelyfrom one set of dies to the next succeeding set of dies, a rotatable camshaft common to mechanism for oscillating said arms, opening and closingthe gripping fingers and progressively transferring the bars relative tothe dies whereby the timed order of operation of each of said mechanismsis maintained.

6. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles fromlengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and intransversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential orderforging and bending operations on the bars, chucks mounted adjacent thedies for holding the bars while being operated on by the dies, a supporton which the bars are placed preparatory to being loaded on the chucks,an arm mounted to oscillate intermediate said support and said chucks,mechanism for oscillating said arm bar, gripping fingers thereon,mechanism to close said fingers when said arm is oscillated adjacentsaid support and to open said fingers when said arm is oscillatedadjacent said chucks, said arm oscillating mechanism and said fingeropening and closing mechanism being operatively controlled from singledriving medium.

'7. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles fromlengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and intransversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential orderforging and bending operations on the bars, an inclined support on whichthe bars are placed preparatory to being operated on by the machine,means for successively releasing the bars from said support, comprisinga pair of arms having hooks in the ends thereof adapted to engage a bar,a cam shaft, cams thereon for oscillating said arms into and out of hookengaging position, a second pair of arms, gripping fingers thereon, asecond set of cams on said cam shaft for oscillating said second namedarms in timed relation with said first named arms and a third set ofarms on said cam shaft for opening and closing said gripping fingers intimed relation with the movement of said first and second named arms.

8. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles fromlengths of bar stock, a pair of dies arranged longitudinally and intransversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential orderforging and bending operations on opposite extremities of the bars,

and means for transferring simultaneously a plurality of bars along saiddies, said means comprising a plurality of sets of transfer fingers, abodily-movable support on which said fingers are pivoted, a slide plateadjacent said support, means for raising and lowering said plate,imparting thereby relative movement between said plate and said supportand connections between said plate and each set of said fingers to opensaid fingers when said plate is lowered and close said fingers when saidplate is raised.

9. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles fromlengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and intransversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential orderforging and bending operations on opposite extremities of the bars, andmeans for transferring simultaneously a plurality of bars along saiddies; said means comprising a plurality of sets of transfer fingers, asupporting plate on which said fingers are pivotally mounted, a slideplate mounted adjacent said supporting plate, said slide plate having aslot therein, rollers mounted on said fingers and engaged in said slot,means for raising, lowering and moving said plates and said fingershorizontally to advance the bars respectively to the next adjacent setof dies, the movement of said plates imparting relative movement betweensaid supporting plate and said slide plate whereby said rollersoperating in said slot will open and close said fingers simultaneous thevertical movement of said plates.

FREDERICK J. LEHMAN.

